04 - Chapter 04

CHAPTER IV.

Shewing a characteristical Difference between a child of God and an Hypocrite

Use 1. IT shews us a discriminating difference between a child of God and an hypocrite, the one serves God from a principle of delight, the other doth not. ’The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver,’ Psalms 119:72. With what delight doth a covetous man tell over his thousands? ay, but God’s law was better to David than thousands; a child of God looks upon the service of God, not only as his duty, but his privilege. A gracious heart loves every thing that hath the stamp of God upon it. The word is his delight. ’Thy words were found and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,’ Jeremiah 15:16. The Sabbath is his delight, Isaiah 58:13. ’If thou turn away thy foot from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the sabbath a delight.’ Prayer is his delight, Isaiah 56:7. ’I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.’ Hearing is his delight, Isaiah 60:8. ’Who are these that fly like doves to their windows?’ The gracious soul flies as a dove to an ordinance, upon the wings of delight; The sacrament is his delight: On this day the Lord makes ’a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined,’ Isaiah 25:6. A sacrament day is a soul-festival day; here Christ takes the soul into his banqueting-house, and displays the banner of love over it,’ Song of Solomon 2:4. Here are heavenly delicacies set before us. Christ gives us his body and blood. This is angels’ food, this is the heavenly nectar, here is a cup perfumed with the divine nature; here is wine spiced with the love of God. The Jews at their feasts poured ointment upon their guests, and kissed them; here Christ pours the oil of gladness into the heart, and kisses us with the kisses of his lips. This is the king’s bath where we wash and are cleansed of our leprosy: the withered soul, after the receiving this blessed eucharist, hath been like a watered garden, or like those Egyptian fields, after the overflowing of the Nile, fruitful and flourishing; and do you wonder that a child of God delights in holy things? he must needs be a volunteer in religion. But it is not thus with an hypocrite; he may be forced to do that which is good, but not to will that which is good; he doth not serve God with delight. Job 27:10. ’Will he delight himself in the Almighty?’ That he hath none of this complacency and delight, appears thus, because he serves God grudgingly; he brings his sacrifice with a wicked mind, Proverbs 21:27. Such an one was Cain: It was long before he brought his offering, it was not the first-fruits; and when he did bring it, it was grudgingly; it was not a free-will offering, Deuteronomy 16:10. It is probable it was the custom of his father’s family to sacrifice; and perhaps conscience might check him for forbearing so long; at last the offering is brought, but how? as a task rather than a duty; as a mulct or fine rather than a sacrifice. Cain brought his offering, but not himself. What Seneca saith of a gift, I may say of a sacrifice; it is not gold and silver makes a gift, but a willing mind, if this be wanting, the gold is only parted with, not given: so, it is not prayer and hearing makes a sacrifice, but it is a willing mind. Cain’s was not an offering, but a tax, not worship, but penance.